And giving him hope for the future.
DeMarcus grew up in a rough neighborhood, surrounded by bad influences and terrible situations. It was all he knew. “I didn’t have a father in my life and the people I looked to as father figures were doing illegal things and going to prison.”
By the time he was 12, DeMarcus was following in their footsteps, running the streets, dealing with addiction and landing in trouble with the law. He lived that way for more than 30 years, costing him custody of his children and robbing him of every good thing in life. He thought it was all he deserved. “I never loved myself,” he says.
Then, one day, his children’s aunt invited DeMarcus to church and he surrendered his life to the Lord. “I told God I would follow Him and I asked Him to do whatever it took to make me better,” DeMarcus says. “A week later, I woke up knowing I was supposed to come to the Mission.”
DeMarcus entered our New Life Program, where he’s grown closer to the Lord through chapel services, Bible studies and Christian mentoring. “God is creating a clean heart in me and renewing my mind. It’s brought me peace and joy.”
His growing faith, Christian counseling and life skills classes have helped DeMarcus process his emotional pain and learn to live his life in a new way. “I’m a better person, with a strong work ethic, integrity, motivation and strength,” he says.
“This is the first time I’ve ever loved myself.”
His relationships with his children have now been restored, and after graduation, DeMarcus plans to get a place of his own where they can stay and he can give them the love and guidance he always longed for. “I’m going to be a good father for my kids.”
DeMarcus is thankful for the way you have answered God’s calling to love your neighbor as yourself – and have helped him learn how to love himself. “I was lost, but God has restored everything.”
To read our Summer 2023 issue of A New Dawn, click here.
Help other people like DeMarcus…
DeMarcus’s story of hope and healing is inspiring. Our New Life Programs exist to help other men and women in the Coachella Valley find healing. Will you help provide this help to others?